Reply #48: There are tricks to make any trip less expensive.

[comrade snarky]

In most European cities a car is the last thing you want so no parking or rental fees needed.

The two biggest expenses are the flight and somewhere to sleep. Note I didn't say hotel. :-) There are short term apartments for rent all over the major cities, usually for a fraction of the cost of a hotel. If you are in a city like Paris with a great metro system consider staying a bit further out from the city center. Prices drop dramatically and you wont mind a 15 minute train ride to the action. Also, consider hostels. They're not all for kids.

With an apartment you also get a stocked kitchen. You can shop in a local grocery store and cook for yourself. Save the eating out for lunches which are cheaper and just as good. Hell, in Paris you can make a wonderful lunch out of a loaf of bread and a couple of cheese or meat bits. It's delicious and you cant beat a Parisian park for picnic settings.

Most importantly, go off-season. The plane tickets will be hundreds less and accommodations about 1/3 off peak rates. Anytime from October to about March. I spent 2 weeks in Paris in late January, sure it was chilly and rained a bit but I was there! It doesn't rain in the Louver and sitting at an outdoor cafe under a nice heat lamp sipping a beer and watching the lights go on and Parisian rush by in their raincoats and umbrellas was a 5 Euro splurge I'll remember forever. There's also no lines or crowds!


You can do it, don't say it will never happen. Worst case scenario, wait for the little freeloaders to graduate and then go! They can watch the dog while you're gone.